Written on September 16th, 2008 at 10:09 pm by Darren Rowse
13 Ways to Promote Your Next Blog Post
You’re slaved over your post – crafting titles, opening lines, adding depth, designing the post to be eye catching and more – you select the perfect time for your post to go live and hit ‘publish’!
It’s over – another post ‘released’ into the wild – there’s nothing more you can do except sit back, see how people like it and start on your next post…. or is there?
Instead of seeing the moment of publishing a post as the end point in the posting cycle of a post – I see it as the birthing moment of a post. The work has only just begun and what you do in the minutes and hours after it goes live can exponentially increase the effectiveness of the post!
Original Image by Elephi Pelephi
Today I want to talk about promoting your blog posts.
A lot is written about promoting and marketing blogs (as a whole) but I’ve found looking at ‘promotion’ on a more micro level (at a post by post level) can be a highly effective strategy.
Having hit publish on your post – don’t just leave it to chance that your post will be read by people. Giving it a few strategic ‘nudges’ can increase the exposure it gets exponentially.
Let me describe a few post promotion activities that I engage in.
note: I don’t use all of these techniques on every post but instead see them as a variety of tools that sit in my blog promotion toolbox and pull out different ones on different posts depending how suitable they are.
13 Ways to Promote Your Next Blog Post
1. Pitching Other Bloggers
One of the most effective ways of getting the word out about a new post is to let other bloggers know about it. There isn’t much more powerful a way to find new readers than another blogger recommending something you’ve written to people who trust them.
Getting other bloggers to link to your posts is not always easy though – particularly in the early days of a blog or if you don’t have some sort of profile or pre-existing relationship with the bloggers that you’re pitching. However it isn’t impossible. Here are a few tips on how to pitch your posts to other blogs:
- Relevancy is key - don’t pitch stories to other bloggers that have little or no relevance to their blog. You’ll just be wasting their time and yours.
- Only pitch your best posts - you will have a much higher success rate at getting a link if you only do it with your best stuff. I would only ever do this with around 1-2% of my posts.
- Give them an angle – don’t just shoot the link over – tell the blogger what the story is about and why it might be relevant to their blog. Save them a little work by showing how the post might be interesting to their readers.
- Keep it brief – if the blogger wants lots of details about your post they’ll click the link. Be to the point, communicate what you need to say and then let the blogger get on with their day.
- Be polite – don’t assume you’ll get the link or insist that they link to you – make the suggestion and let the blogger decide if it’s relevant for them.
- Be personal – use their name, their blog’s name and show you are not just spamming thousands of blogs with your email.
Read more tips like these on pitching other bloggers at 13 Tips on Asking other Bloggers for Links.
2. Social Messaging
An increasingly large source of traffic for my own blogs over the last year has been Twitter and other social messaging sites (like Friendfeed and Plurk). I use a mixture of automated tools and personalized tools to drive this traffic. On twitter I use TwitterFeed to tweet items from my blog’s RSS feed.
I find that this works best if your blogs feed is not the only thing that you’re putting up on Twitter. Add your own personal tweets, link to other people’s content, ask readers questions etc – the more you mix it up the more effective your own automated tweets will be accepted and clicked upon by your followers.
Don’t be afraid to use social messaging to promote posts that have good discussion on them also. I find that 12-24 hours after my post goes live can be a good time to shoot out another tweet if there’s a particularly hot conversation going on (in fact this can drive even more traffic than the first TwitterFeed automated tweet as it alerts your followers to a conversation rather than just content).
3. Social Bookmarking
This is something that I only do on selected posts – those that I think could do well on bookmarking sites like Digg or StumbleUpon.
I won’t go into great depth on this topic in this post as I recently wrote on how to get to the front page of Digg and have posted other tips at Using Social Media Sites to Grow Your Blog’s Traffic.
4. Internal Links
A great deal of blog promotion tips focus upon how to promote your blog on other people’s blogs and sites – but a great way to promote your blog post is to do it on your own blog.
One thing that I try to do with my best posts after I publish them is to think about where I could promote it on my own blog.
While it is at the top of my blog’s front page (the primary place to promote it) if you think hard you’re bound to find a few other posts in your archives that you could link to this new post. Find places where you’ve covered similar topics before and add your link as a ‘related reading’ link or even add a link to your new post within the content of an old post.
You might also want to add your new post to previously written ‘sneeze pages‘ or your sidebar if it’s a key post. Every link you add on your own blog to your new post potentially sends your current readers to your new post but also helps your blog with Search Engine Optimization (internal links count too).
5. Newsletters
If you have a newsletter list on your blog and you’ve written what you consider to be a key blog post – include a link to it in your next newsletter. Doing this will drive traffic but also signal to your readers that it’s a pillar post that you feel deserves their attention.
As with each of the points above – only do this with your best and most relevant posts. If you do it with every post reader will become desensitized to your recommended reading.
6. Other Blogs Comments Sections and Forums
NOTE: tread carefully with this one and only do it occasionally and in a way that adds value.
If you’ve got a post that you think relates strongly to something that another blogger has written about or that is the topic of discussion on a forum – leave a link to your own post.
The key to pulling this off without being labled a spammer is to leave a genuinely useful comment on the blog or forum. The comment itself should add value, be right on topic and contribute to the conversation. Then if you include a link introduce it with a ‘I’ve written more about this at….’ type comment rather than just a spammy call to action.
The other option is to email the other blogger first and ask if they’d mind if you leave the link. You might even find that the blogger will add the link to the post itself (don’t assume this).
7. Email Signatures
If you use a service like Feedburner they have a little widget that you can add to your email signature that highlights your latest blog posts. I’m not sure how effective that this is at driving traffic but the principle is a good one.
I know of a couple of bloggers who do the same thing by hand – they pick one or two of their latest key posts and add links to them as ‘featured posts’ in their email signatures. Many of us have links to our blog’s main URL in our email signatures but it strikes me that a link to a recent individual post could actually be more effective as it sends people to your very best content – food for thought.
8. Followup Posts
If you’ve just written a post that you feel is important a great technique to give it a second round of attention is to write a second post extending the first in some way.
This technique is very powerful at adding a sense of momentum to your blog.
‘Treat every post as an introduction to your next’. Here’s an image that describes this process taken from How to Keep Momentum Going by Building on Previous Posts.
Also check out how I use Mind Mapping to extend posts and do followups like this.
9. Advertise Your Post
This one won’t be for everyone and is definitely only for those special posts that you write that you particularly want to drive traffic to – but why not put a little budget aside to promote a post with some advertising.
Key posts that have a high ‘usefulness factor’ to potential readers are a great way to find new loyal readers to a blog. Rather than advertising the front page of your blog a high quality post can actually be the perfect landing page for an advertisement.
There are a variety of ways to advertise a blog but one of my favorites is on StumbleUpon where you can actually start an organic rush of traffic to a good blog post with a relatively small budget. Learn more on how to do it at Run a StumbleUpon Advertising Campaign for your Blog.
4 More Ways to Promote Key Blog Posts
The list could go on – here are a few more quick tips on how to promote individual blog posts:
- 10. Write a Press Release – some press release services don’t cost anything (or much) and they can be surprisingly effective with a little luck.
- 11. Pitch Mainstream Media - some posts will have mainstream media appeal. Shoot a paper, magazine, TV or Radio station an email – you might get lucky.
- 12. Article Marketing – while I’ve never done article marketing I know a few bloggers who swear by writing articles for ‘free article sites’ as a way to promote themselves. While they often include links back to their main blog in these articles I think there’s some strong arguments for doing it to individual posts.
- 13. Add a Comments Competition – if you want to increase reader interaction on a particular post run a comments competition where you give one commenter a prize. To increase the ‘quality’ and not just ‘quantity’ of comments offer a prize for the ‘best’ comment rather than a random comment.
How do You Promote Blog Posts?
I’ve covered 12 ways to promote an individual blog post above. What would you add?
How have you done it? What success have you had?
Keep in mind I’m not asking about how you promote your blog in a general sense – but how do you drive traffic to individual blog posts?
Read the Full Series
This post is part of a series on how to craft blog posts. It will be all the more powerful if taken in context of the full series which looks at 10 points in the posting process to pause and put extra effort. Start reading this series here.
Tags: Blog Promotion, finding readers, tips
142 Responses to “13 Ways to Promote Your Next Blog Post” - Add Yours
"Motivate Thyself"
September 16th, 2008 10:32 pm
Having a fairly new blog makes it hard to get a post on the front of something like Digg, but I’ve found that getting others to Stumble a post works great!
Daniel
September 16th, 2008 10:34 pm
Some really useful tips here Darren, thanks.
I particularly like tips 1 & 2 – especially as they focus on getting your message out there, generating awareness and building relationships. So many people get pre-occupied with links and diggs etc.
Nards
September 16th, 2008 10:49 pm
I have always felt a little guilty when it comes to promoting my blog. I guess because it started out as a personal newsletter. However, I love reading others and recommending them. Over time, I have been able to get a comfortable number of regular readers. I gain about three new readers per day- Nards.
Lisa Creech Bledsoe
September 16th, 2008 10:56 pm
Outstanding post. Thanks again for putting everything in one place in such a succinct, helpful, and clear way.
Viral Video Wannabe
September 16th, 2008 10:59 pm
I usually just twitter them and occasionally link people on Skype who I think would be interested. I always feel spammy when promoting the blog too hard.
Wayne Liew
September 16th, 2008 11:03 pm
For those who have an email list, you can always send out newsletter updates to your list so that they know that you have a new blog post up.
It is always good to send out free contents to your list. You build traffic for your blog and at the same time, you are building trust with your subscribers. Win win! :-)
Wayne Liew
http://www.affboom.com
herliando
September 16th, 2008 11:04 pm
my last post is last month in my last blog, i tried to make a blog that telling the true about myself. before it, i used to make some blogs just for experiment about SEO o, the content was picked from other blog that i had changed to be ‘original content’ . a blog that translated manually get better traffic and not so bad in SEO.but now with a project to make a ‘true original contents blog’,i find myself can do nothing. Please advise me Darren..
andymurd
September 16th, 2008 11:06 pm
I’ve had good traffic from FriendFeed and Stumbleupon. Whilst SU visitors tend to read and leave, FriendFeeders are much more interactive. It’s really easy to add your blog to your FriendFeed page – just import the RSS feed and it updates automatically.
Rhys
September 16th, 2008 11:12 pm
My tip is to write posts and know your best posts inside out (maybe even have a page on your blog about it). That way, when you enter into something like a group writing project, you can link to them.
The amount of posts I’ve seen in GWP have not internal linking, why not link to relevant posts you have written (or at the very least have a “check out some of my other posts” section at the bottom).
Furthermore, try shoehorning in other blogger links, so that they may pick up on the story and run with it.
Ryan McLean
September 16th, 2008 11:14 pm
If you write a REALLY REALLY good article the stumble it yes, digg it…yes but there are a few things you can do to make this article even better.
1. Create similar articles to submit to free article websites which link to your original article. This way you will get loads of links to your article pushing up it’s exposure.
2. Create a whole website around this article – Number 8 was follow up posts which is a great idea. But if you know one topic is successful then create a website for it (even if it is a static website and not a blog) and do everything to promote that. Get a keyword rich domain to get higher SE rankings. I am currently doing this at the moment with one of my most popular posts.
This is too extreme to do for all of your posts but they are some ideas when you post has been marketed all other ways and is really popular
Keith Cash
September 16th, 2008 11:14 pm
Nice post
I have some good luck with Press releases. I find one of the best is the twitter, seems to go right to the google search engine
Michael Aulia
September 16th, 2008 11:18 pm
Another good tip that I found is to comment on blogs that have a “U Comment I Follow” policy. If you’re lucky, the blogger will go to your blog to give a comment back to your latest post.
That way, your latest post (the one you want to “market”), will be read and possibly linked/social bookmarked.
Tink *~*~*
September 16th, 2008 11:25 pm
Question about, I guess the necessity or the reason for newsletters. If you are blogging regularly and have subscribers to the blog, what is the point of a newsletter? What content goes into the newsletter versus the posts that you are blogging each day? I would not want to subject my readers to redundant information.
thanks,
Tink *~*~*
Jared Goralnick
September 16th, 2008 11:39 pm
Now I just really wish I were going to Blog World Expo…cause I’d totally wear that bunny suit to promote my blog. Admit it, Darren, that tactic worked for you up until about 10,000 subscribers.
Paul G
September 16th, 2008 11:49 pm
Very good post Darren, well pitched for both beginners and more accomplished bloggers. I do think that those starting off should jettison the first point until youve got your blog in a fit shape and its worth hammering the point home that you should never, ever spam or you will be blacklisted as annoying quicker than you can type “Paris Hilton”. I would also leave press releases out of the equation for similar reasons.
With regards to Tinks comment above I myself also dont really see the points of a newsletter as if you have RSS/Twitter then you have a direct mode to get your info across to your audience.
jaime
September 17th, 2008 1:09 am
how did you find that photo of me in the bunny suit?
:)
Franklin Bishop
September 17th, 2008 1:10 am
These are some nice ideas. I think it really depends what category your blog is in. Some blogs can do really good with social media sites and some do not do so well. I think everyone just has to play with it for a while to see what works for them. When you play with a social media site though, make sure to play with a whole bunch of them because each site’s users like different content. Just because stumbleupon doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean you cannot use digg.
timmyjohnboy
September 17th, 2008 1:21 am
I’ve found recent success promoting my blog on facebook. Personally, I’m not all that good at keeping my interest in social networking sites like facebook, but I am working on it in order to keep up with friends accross the USA.
In the last few weeks, I’ve written a few posts that I thought my contacts on facebook might find interesing so I not only “shared” the link, but I also began using “blogcast” which I learned about in one of your past posts. Well, this past week, my visitor numbers jumped 75% and have remained there. I know my readership is still small, but I get excited about sustained growth! Perhaps part of it is my continual interaction in that community.
Keep the good content coming!
jrasnier
September 17th, 2008 2:37 am
Nice tips.
Would YouTube be counted as Mainstream Media? You could point out your post in a video you upload to YouTube or pitch to someone that has his own series of videos which already has a following.
Vintage Mommy
September 17th, 2008 3:08 am
Thanks – you reminded me to tweet about my newest post!
Kim Wolinski, Dr. DeClutter
September 17th, 2008 3:09 am
Darren, I can ALWAYS depend on you for the 101 keys to making onlinebiz work. Thank you for the reminders to keep it simple and do it, step-by-step.
Blissings,
Kim
Dr. DeClutter!
Twitter: drdeclutter
rjani
September 17th, 2008 4:33 am
Great post Darren , however the very thing that got my attention in this one was the picture. How do you always find the right picture for a post? It’s quite amazing. I guess you didn’t search for “huge pink rabbit with board” :D
I’m really curious…
Den Rosu
September 17th, 2008 4:38 am
Yep, I have recently re-discovered the power of Twitter. I looked at it early on and honestly didnt understand it. Unbelievable how that community has grown up into something so useful and engaging.
I have also had good luck with press releases and social bookmarking. The big thing I’m onto now is offering free ebooks to subscribers. Simple, and incredibly powerful.
I’m finally getting around to starting my own personal blog and I plan to follow your examples and tips from this blog religiously. Simple and straight forward for those be patient and are willing to do the work.
I enjoy your posts on twitter as well. (That’s where I first heard of you!)
Thanks for sharing!
@denrosu
SEO and Blogging Tips
September 17th, 2008 5:26 am
Those are some great tips Darren. I like to use forums to notify other members of my latest posts and to get some valuable feedback from them. As we all know, forums are a great place to get some relevant traffic from.
Todayearning.com
September 17th, 2008 7:02 am
Yes, the great suggestions about how to drive visitors so would like again to read the newer posts. Thank you for the tips above.
Do Follow Comment Blog
September 17th, 2008 7:29 am
I submit most of my posts to about 70 social sites, works to get traffic every time!
Mathew Packer
September 17th, 2008 8:42 am
All that sounds like waaaaay too much work Darren, I’m going with the Bunny suit and sandwich board promo!!
Jessica Gottlieb
September 17th, 2008 8:54 am
Oh, what could I possibly add to that?
Since I write for multiple blogs with interrelated themes I might reference myself from one blog to another.
It’s a tricky thing to do without sounding like a narcissist, but every now and again it works.
Angel Cuala
September 17th, 2008 9:49 am
Before, I am submitting almost all my posts to social sites like Digg and SU but I got nothing. This is maybe because I had some problems in creating attractive titles, or there were greater posts ahead of me.
Now, I am 90% a forum poster and I noticed not only an increase in traffic but I also met interesting bloggers. A good thing about some forums is that it will display your latest post tittle with a link to it and when someone finds it interesting, they will visit it.
However, forum posting is addictive and we may forget to find time to update our blog.
Junelle
September 17th, 2008 9:58 am
I agree with Mathew Packer :P
Mike
September 17th, 2008 10:20 am
One thing I’ve done on occasion for posts that are either thought provoking or exceptionally funny is I copy the text and post it on Craigslist along with a link back to the site either in the Rants/Raves section or in the different discussion forums.
With all the different markets it allows me to recycle the post to different people over and over (often eliciting contrasting responses depending on the demographic). Furthermore, even if they don’t visit the link, they’ll respond on CL therefore drawing more attention to the post.
Jess
September 17th, 2008 1:08 pm
I have written on other blogs and written on forums…I’m not sure why but I have found fourms to bring me a lot more traffic than any other technique.
meezwan
September 17th, 2008 1:31 pm
Very useful tips and it means to me because I always try to get more traffic to my site. I will use your tips and hope it works.
cheers,
webchronics
J.D. Meier
September 17th, 2008 5:13 pm
I like it – promote your blog a post at a time.
J.D. Meier
September 17th, 2008 5:14 pm
@Jess – how do you find the fruitful forums?
Dilip Shaw
September 17th, 2008 5:44 pm
Darren you forgot to mention negative marketing – writing something against what people “like”.
http://www.DilipShaw.com/
IjoForex
September 17th, 2008 8:00 pm
Funny illustration. Thanks a lot for your advise Darren, I will do step by step as your advise.
ciao.
Funny Stuff
September 18th, 2008 4:31 am
A very good read and chocked full of ideas that most bloggers know but with a more in depth look at why some of these things work.
This is a lucky resource for anyone to discover if they are new to the blogging world.
I tell people all the time that you can have a $50,000 site and it will be a total waste of money if no one ever finds it.
Many people think you can just get into this blogging world and zoom to the top but the likelihood of you remaining stagnated at the bottom proves that gravity not only applies to the universe but to unpromoted websites as well.
*One key way of promoting* one of my sites is by word of mouth to friends. They are a source of many more people adding to the views and promoting it further.
There used to be a commercial with this line of thinking that stated, “You tell one friend and they tell another and so on and so on and so on”.
sometimes we overlook the power of small things and tend to think we have to hire a plane to carry a banner on the back of it to promote what we have.
I have talked too, long now I must go tell a few friends about my latest must read posts.
CoolProducts
September 18th, 2008 4:32 am
Darren, this sounds like a very good idea, one that I hadn’t really thought about. Thanks for the heads up and ideas!
Lindsay
September 18th, 2008 5:56 am
Great post. I tend to just let the chips fall where they may, but it certainly makes sense to promote a post you really slaved over. It’s such a bummer when you post something brilliant (at least *you* think so), and nobody even leaves a comment. :P
I comfort myself with the fact that sometimes a post you didn’t think would be a winner gets dozens of comments. :)
Work At Home Dad
September 18th, 2008 8:55 am
The tips you gave work great for the online world. But if your blog’s target is people who are non-tech savvy and unfamiliar with things like social bookmarking sites and even the Internet, then the guy in the bunny suit IS actually a good way to spread the word offline.
Der Geld Guru
September 18th, 2008 11:25 am
wow fantastic text.
should use more of the ideas mentioned above
Great ideas really
thank you
Natalie Dylan
September 18th, 2008 11:39 am
To me the email signature seems like the least important one among the ones you listed for it doesn’t apply to most of us small bloggers.
Adam Pieniazek
September 18th, 2008 2:47 pm
Nice list.
I’ve found slapping a link every now and then in my instant messenger away message is a good way to get some nice traffic. Would that fall under social media?
WebsiteWaves Blog
September 18th, 2008 3:06 pm
I will never again bring a book to lunch but just my blackberry where I can read problogger.com, click to follow a link to another page of problogger.com, and read some more without ever turning a page.
Web Developers
September 18th, 2008 10:44 pm
Very Useful tips Darren. I will use your tips to promote my next blog post.
PlantBuddy
September 19th, 2008 3:17 am
I tried on my current blog post ” New Tulips” to link it to an earlier post about Tulips, but was unable to pull it off. Found it hard to accomplish. Followed instructions in a book. Can you describe how it’s done?
I’m at http://www.wateronceaweek.blogspot.com
Kimberlee
September 19th, 2008 3:29 am
These are some great tips! Thanks for sharing. I use stumbleupon primarily, because I find that the more social networks I’m on, the more I goof off. Is there a way to notify all of them at once?
I also leave comments on other’s blogs, to generate interest in mine. This way I can make new blogger friends, while promoting my own work.
Kimberlee
Life Wisdom Blog
September 19th, 2008 9:16 am
Yes, Relevant is the key! It is like one chain to another chain. More similarity, more chance web user will click on it.
Shannon McDowell
September 19th, 2008 9:50 am
Very good suggestions. So far I’ve been leaving it to chance and StumbleUpon, so needless to say I haven’t exactly gotten the traffic I’ve wanted.
I will see where your tips get me. :)
Best wishes,
Shannon
Tumblemoose
September 19th, 2008 10:43 am
This kind of post is exactly why Problogger is becoming one of my favorite sites (not to mention I’ve gotten some freelance work from one or two of the job postings).
Some of these tips I just kinda figured out on my own, but even so it’s nice to have the depth of discussion and the reasonoing behind them.
Thanks for helping all of us bloggers do a little better job.
CoCreatr
September 19th, 2008 4:02 pm
Thank you, Darren, for these tips.
Very useful for a newbie blogger like me (day 3). My first few posts riffed off other blogs, and I used “trackback” without really knowing what I am doing. Would that be acceptable to promote my blog?
Orna Ross
September 19th, 2008 8:22 pm
Hi Darren, thanks so much for this. I am a new blogger and the information here, and in this entire series, is going to be sooooooo helpful. BUT I have to say I’m also worried about you — specifically your sleeping patterns (yes, following you on Twitter!). I think you’re working too hard. (Actually, I think the whole blogging/techie world is working too hard — maybe a tad addicted????)
Forgive the imposition – I give in far too often to my interfering busybody tendencies. Though I’m sure your other half/Mom/Dad might agree with me???
The work you do is so, so great for us — but do make sure you are also taking care of yourself!
And many, many thanks to you again!
Orna
Bryan Hee
September 19th, 2008 8:51 pm
In my opinion the best way to attract traffic is to write the content that your visitors interested. We can do a survey to find out what topics they are interested!”Fresh content” with quality information will attract repeat visitors and also new visitors from the “word of mouth”.
To Your Success
Bryan Hee
Coty
September 20th, 2008 5:46 am
Very useful set of tip, Darren! I’ve been using using social networks a lot to drive in traffic to my blog. I will definitely be utilizing these other tips.
patzz
September 21st, 2008 1:15 am
Excellent Darren excellent because of this I postponed publishing my next post and there is many things to consider before that. thanks for you. keep rocking every day
Daniel, The Hosting Blog
September 21st, 2008 8:49 am
I got a question for you in regards to how to setup your posts so that they flow into each other.
Are these like physically posted in this order – for instance, you want to wrote in your blog that will be split into 5 blog posts. Would you start with 1, then 2, then 3, or would you write 1, write about some other topic, then maybe a week later come back and post number 2?
Or do you simply create this series by proper internal linking?
seo
September 21st, 2008 11:10 pm
Social Bookmarking i think is the best source to promote the next article!
Abi Bakar
September 22nd, 2008 3:18 am
I am a bit shy on offering my posts to other bloggers, since my confident on this field is not sufficient:)), I usually visit other blogs or do blog walking activity to read their stories and drop comments, they usually pay me visits and at this phase they meet my posts – read them – and (usually) link to them.
But it’s not happening all the times, as you mentioned on the post “relevancy is the key”, whereas not all the posts I publish daily have relevancy with their theme.
Therefore the solution for my case is making clown blogs and put my just released post links to them. What do you think Darren?
Keep It SEO Simple
September 22nd, 2008 6:13 pm
Great post! The first tip in particular should be required reading for anyone who is even thinking about starting up his or her own blog. What so many beginning bloggers fail to realize is that connectivity is the key to success in this business. That first tip offers tons of ways on how to do just that!
Ecko
September 23rd, 2008 2:32 am
I usually use number 4 to promote other post. Off course, relevancy is the key to link the post to the other one. I also make a special place for most commented post and recent post that would attract readers to read.
iPodFrankenstein
September 23rd, 2008 9:45 am
Excellent post, I can’t wait to try some of these out.
Sie Whange
September 23rd, 2008 3:33 pm
Nice one.This kind of post is exactly why Problogger is becoming one of my favorite sites.I’ve been using social networks a lot to drive in traffic to my blog.
http://www.yishanteashop.com/
Kevin Cimring
September 23rd, 2008 7:41 pm
Excellent and informative post. I experimented with ads on Stumbleupon – the result was incredible.
Regards
Kevin
Mike
September 23rd, 2008 7:59 pm
Hello All,
I just remembered that I have a facebook connection to some local media folks because we went to the same college. Think I will try sending them a P.R. Thanks for that good idea. Mike Logan
Google G1 Smart Phone
September 23rd, 2008 9:00 pm
I think the first part is really hard.. if i try to contact you or i mention your post in my post, I am 99% sure that You never listen to me cause you are Big Established Blogger and i am a Newbie..Isn’t Darren…See you won’t reply me here is comments…I know this…
Mario Chase
September 23rd, 2008 11:30 pm
Very good information.. going to be using some of this strategies. I have to write a post about this things… very cool information.
Blue Duck Copy
September 24th, 2008 1:10 am
Thanks for the review! Promotion is such a big part of online business that is can easily consume your entire day. When I first started my business, I thought I would just be writing and emailing clients! Ha! Within 6 weeks I was researching marketing at the local library!
Alan Weinkrantz
September 24th, 2008 5:16 am
I combine blogging/pr/social media.
Here’s a good case study:
http://alanweinkrantz.typepad.com/alan_weinkrantz_and_compa/2008/09/dsl-reportselec.html
Michael Garmahis
September 24th, 2008 10:26 am
My last post is about Design Wiki project http://design-wiki.com/ I launched recently. And sometimes the only way to heard is to post a blog comment.
Design Wiki is is a new project based on highly popular idea of open content encyclopedia trying to collect and fine tune all kind of information related to graphic design, web design and digital media.
Ridho
September 24th, 2008 10:32 am
It’s a great tips, I want to try it, I hope my blog can famous like your blog.
FaridSulaiman.com
September 24th, 2008 6:06 pm
This topic really help me, cause I just new in writting a blog.
Still a lot of thing to be learn. It true when u write a new post but noboday read it… sometime no visitor at all….
Anyway thanks Darren.
Hope this week can finish read you book “Pro Blogger”
Bobbye
September 24th, 2008 9:01 pm
I’m overwhelmed! I’m a writer, well-published in “the real world” and I never am at a loss for words, but when it comes to marketing and promoting my “cyber writing”, I am simply clueless. I have created four blogs that I enjoy writing in at least weekly if not several times a week, and I get nice emails if someone ever happens across it, but….Ack! This is a tough new world for an “old timer” like me to break into. *sigh* Thanks for the tips…I wish I could get the cyber-awareness part of my brain to understand it all. *sound of gears whirring and slowly stripping*
blankshooting
September 25th, 2008 4:00 am
fantastic post and some even better tips!!! must start using these!!! keep up the great work!
Allan
September 25th, 2008 8:13 am
Thank you for the exhaustive list of tips. I will be sure to consider using some of these tips. There is just so much noise to rise over.
John D
September 25th, 2008 4:22 pm
That’s a great list of points there, and they are straight to the point. I tend to do a lot of article marketing, as you mentioned others have had great success. So far i haven’t, but over time, i’m hoping that’ll it’ll pickup.
Thanks for the twelve points. John
Copywriters Needed/No Experience Required- Make $200/hr
September 26th, 2008 2:27 am
Social messaging is probably the best way to get your blog out there. I would leave Digg social network alone, since they are saturated and the big coporate leaders have taken over! I would probably comment on other people’s blogs and get into the social networking thing. It might be saturated, but that is good because more people will see your message!
Mudassir
September 26th, 2008 4:45 am
I 110% agree with Mathew but it also tells us that blogging is not just a fun. It requires time and special attention. Thanks!
Mudassir
http://www.socialmediaplex.com
step-by-step
September 26th, 2008 9:35 pm
Something I have found to use is yahoo answers. Ofcourse this requires answering questions with some detail to avoid looking to much like spam, but it gets me just as much traffic as digg with less than half the time I spend on digg.
Smith
September 27th, 2008 4:26 am
Wow.. Really awesome one.. It will be interesting for new bloggers like me :)
Jonathan Davies
September 27th, 2008 8:03 pm
These have been incredibly helpful, Darren, having just started a new blog I’m going to do my best to try these out and report back on my own findings.
Thank-you!
Jonathan
Holly
September 27th, 2008 9:21 pm
These are great tips; thanks!
Wealth Seeker
September 28th, 2008 2:26 am
I have to say this that this site has really given me some useful information.
I will definitely use all these methods to promote my blog.
Keep up the good work!!
ITrush
September 29th, 2008 12:19 am
Another useful info, I would say that my best promotion is social bookmarking and forum posting and I think I got it right. Thanks for sharing some other techniques.
Nicholas Chase
September 29th, 2008 2:07 am
Darren,
It was great meeting with you at the MArket Leverage dinner at Envy Steakhouse.
It was an exciting time for a new blogger to meet the people I have been reading about for three months.
Our financial situation is reaching critical mass, with December 2008 a nexus in hard decisions to sell home and cars.
I volunteered my videographt services to BlogWorld Expo, in hopes of an opportunity to obtain some direction and focus for my on-line business efforts.
With the agressive shooting schedules over the three days, it was not possible to meet with anyone in depth, so I did not try to intrude on your space in order to help myself, at the expense of others.
Can you recommend a method to quickly generate some income?
Our credit cards are nearly maxed out and this precludes any PPC /PPA funds.
Respectfully,
Nicholas – ‘the video guy’ at BlogWorld Expo 2008
Slave To The Internet
September 29th, 2008 2:12 pm
Great tips here Darren.
I get alot of traffic from SU and that may be because of the type of blog I have.
I must give friendfeed a try. People keep going on and on about it.
Avinash
September 29th, 2008 4:39 pm
Great Post Darren. Tips shared are very useful :-)
Crystal H.
September 30th, 2008 12:46 am
Thanks for the great ideas. Very helpful for my new website!
Vincent
September 30th, 2008 3:14 am
Thanks for the tips Darren. I’ve been regularly checking back for more tips on promoting my blog.
Travis
September 30th, 2008 5:20 am
Darren great tips. look forward to hearing more.
Jeff
September 30th, 2008 6:29 am
Great tips Darren. My blog is very young (just launched on 9/25), and these tips will most certainly come in handy. I’ve always been a fan of promoting posts within your own blog by linking to them as a related post, or even within the content. I think that internal links can do a lot not only to promote individual posts, but to increase the duration of time that visitors spend on your blog.
Jeff
http://www.2lincolns.com
The Blog Academy [dot com]
September 30th, 2008 6:57 am
As always Darren, your post rocks!
I would however love to see a post or even better a series covering the different types of article, ie list posts, how to posts, video posts and how best to promote these seperately
It would be useful to find out which promotion tactics you use.
thanks
Charles Noerenberg
September 30th, 2008 8:27 am
Powerful comments can be a good option to promote your posts. However, the comments need to be well structured and complementary to the post.
Good post Darren…
Dominick
September 30th, 2008 12:23 pm
Thanks so much for this advice Darren. I’ve been looking for ways to promote a new blog post I wrote and this series has really hit home. It’s on a relatively new website, but luckily I’ve been in the blog game for a while, so I’ve utilized some of the things you’ve listed above to promote the posts on this blog. I’ve been lucky to get some nice visitor numbers for a new site, too because of this.
I’m going to try some of the other tips you’ve listed like pitching to other bloggers (something I’ve never really done) and I’ve been toying with the idea for a comment competition for a while now. I think I’ll be doing that soon, too!
To promote my site, I make sure the SEO (meta tags, title) are SE-friendly. I get a lot of traffic from Google. I also try to make my posts relevant and use social networking a lot to get my story out there. I’ve seen success with Stumble Upon, Facebook and even digg.
CCNA Training Videos
September 30th, 2008 12:59 pm
I think you bring up some great points. I’ve found overall, that StumbleUpon drive the most traffic long term. Even for posts where I’ve gotten close to the front page of Digg, traffic dies almost as quickly as it spiked. Stumble traffic is much more consistent over time.
Great job, keep up the good work! I really like the blog layout, aesthetic components, colors, etc.
affiliate marketing girl
September 30th, 2008 6:46 pm
I had read somewhere that twitter was not as good for promoting your blog as it used to be, do you think this is true?
computer tips
September 30th, 2008 8:05 pm
I haven’t had much luck with social sites and some of them are confusing, even for a computer geek with no time. However I think I will check out twitter because the majority rules..
I am concentrating on organic traffic because I really don’t know how to get it any other way.
I have got some traffic from articles and youtube, but nothing to write home about!
I sent my first newsletter out last month and my traffic trebbled.. Now it is going down again so I am rushing to do another one.
Tuk
September 30th, 2008 10:23 pm
Excellent post! A friend of mine recommended your blog and now Im addicted. I just subscribe and I will keep reading to see how I can improve my own. Keep up the good work!
Sufu
October 1st, 2008 2:06 am
This is great information.
-sufu
http://www.creditandbankdeals.com
webbizo
October 1st, 2008 8:57 am
excellent information. I have to congratulate you for your blog and most important for the service that you are providing to webmasters in general. I already knew some of the methods you talk about in your article but there are other very interesting that I will try write away.
Meanwhile, I’ve bookmarked you blog :) and I hope that someday I can have so many visitors at http://www.Lookaz.com as you have here
Bloggeries
October 1st, 2008 9:53 am
Great tips especially #6. Sharing great content in forums is a good idea especially in response to someone else’s question.
Himanshu
October 2nd, 2008 7:26 am
Nice post Darren!
Can someone suggest some good site for Article Marketing where linking back is also allowed ?
Thanks
Robert
October 3rd, 2008 4:44 pm
I’ve often thought of what happens to a blog post ofter its posted.
I find myself spending quite some time promting my latest or best post.
Gitui
October 3rd, 2008 4:47 pm
I’ve written a post on how you can generate traffic Using forums.
It ties in quite well with # 6
http://www.gitui.com/internet/increase-traffic-using-forums/
An I agree with the idea of not making it spammy.
amirulcyber
October 3rd, 2008 8:41 pm
wow darren what a long article.thanks for this article.
Carlos Lorenzo
October 3rd, 2008 9:26 pm
As you say you pitch other bloggers with your best blogs. Well I think this one is so you got me. Thanks.
Webdesi3
October 4th, 2008 2:17 am
Thank you for a wonderfull post!
I have been using just StumbleUpon for generating traffic and its great but its not giving the results I’d like to achieve. I get about 2 new visitors a day, which, don’t get me wrong, is absolutly fab! :) I’d just like to be able to help more people.
I have been listening to the Blogger Blueprints over the last few days, and I think that it combined with your great advise is the best stepping stone for me. Now I just have to roll up my sleaves and get down to the really hard work of promoting my blog using more than just StumbleUpon :)
I have a question though… How do I find out how many people have subscribed to my RSS feed without using feedburner, I don’t like it. This may be a dumb question, but its been bugging me, and every time I google it I get feedburner stuff.
Thanks again for the great post.
-Webdesi3
fun-da-mental
October 10th, 2008 10:50 pm
Stumbleupon blogpost promoting works good, however, one shouldn’t overdue it. Don’t promote your own posts too much; Stumbleupon will realize this, and cause trouble for you if you overdo.
Curry
October 18th, 2008 9:06 pm
Thanks for sharing these tips! If I need an extra boost I may try the rabbit suit.
audrey
December 31st, 2008 12:22 am
Thanks for the tips on promoting. I’m only just beginning to learn how to promote. I’m sure this article could help me.
Saskboy
January 1st, 2009 6:21 am
A method I’ve used is to comment on a lot of similar blogs, and start conversations with many bloggers so they are interested in what I’m writing about too.
Jeff paul internet business
January 27th, 2009 5:32 pm
I always make blogs for experiment about SEO but i always but different or original contents of blogs and have like to do conversations with other bloggers.
Hector
February 7th, 2009 7:45 am
First, thank you for the post a very nice and easy method that I’ve used is to answer questions on Yahoo Answers. It generates a nice traffic if your answers get on top.
Rodrigo Oshiro
February 10th, 2009 9:18 am
Thanks for the tips. The comments posted here are very nice too.
Nostalgic times were those when a guestbook was something exciting. Now services like wordpress and blogger makes things so much easier to us. And the tools are increasing, sharing services, Google Friend Connect, gadgets, etc. It’s very cool.
About audience I dunno, my blog is very personal, I don’t think there would ever be many people to read it… There is a section where I share what I read on the web (Google Reader) though, it could be nice to get audience too, since my posts are very personal.
Dion Baker
February 24th, 2009 3:28 pm
Thanks for the info. I just read it so now I’m going to implement some of these strategies and see how I do! I’ve also spread the word to others.
manson
February 26th, 2009 9:05 am
Very nice information. Thanks for this.
Live Jasmin
February 27th, 2009 2:19 am
I really liked your blog! Keep the articles coming I am going to pass your site to others.
Yemek Tarifleri
March 12th, 2009 8:26 pm
I am reading your blog posts for a long time and this is my first comment at your blog because i like the post :) Please keep it up.
Phone Number Lookup
March 29th, 2009 7:36 am
I have probably been looking around online for like the last 20 minutes for a site like yours. So i just want to give you a big thank you and tell you too keep up the hard work. Have a great weeken! =) Thank you!
ellen
March 30th, 2009 2:13 am
Now thats what i call a good read, i have bookmarked your site and will certainly be reading more of your posts.
Yavisos
March 30th, 2009 2:10 pm
Hey, i was seeing a leng in squidoo, then take me to another link that leave me here, it is a great post dude, thanks !
Travel Deals
April 4th, 2009 4:32 am
Very well written. This is the kind of information that is useful to those want to increase their SERP’s. Keep up the good work.
Online Warez Community
April 4th, 2009 7:07 am
Great stuff. Nice to read some well written posts that have some relevancy !
limousine service houston texas
April 4th, 2009 9:55 am
Great blog, sounds like you really know what you are talking about. Your words flow together very nicely making it easy to read. I can’t tell you how many bloggers have poor writing skills. You however, are among the better ones I have read. I am subscribing to your RSS feed to stay up to date. Thanks!
Malta Business Directory
April 4th, 2009 3:43 pm
Many thanks…I just love problogger this site is amazing ;)
Keep up the good work team.
Hotels in Mussoorie
April 7th, 2009 9:28 pm
I searched on google and I had a hard time located the right info….until I found your blog.
compositeeffectz
April 8th, 2009 4:53 am
Great stuff. Nice to read some well written posts. A long way between them.
Kathy McBain
April 10th, 2009 12:35 pm
For a relatively new blogger, this information is priceless. I’ve spent literally hundreds of hours on Problogger and when I need any information about promoting my own blogs, I’ve learned to come here first. I really appreciate all of the useful information that I’ve found here. My only complaint is that you are wasting all my printer ink – I have a 2 inch binder full of stuff I thought was so useful, I had to print it. :)
jack parler
April 10th, 2009 3:55 pm
I like this theme you are using… what is it?
Lara Kulpa
April 10th, 2009 11:26 pm
Hi Jack, it’s a custom theme. You can find the designer’s link at the bottom right of the site.
Holiday Destinations in May
April 16th, 2009 2:59 am
recently i got many traffic by buzzing my post on yahoo buzz. i am still awful in SEO, sometimes my post got top ten in google, but i dont know how it could be. and sometime my ‘optimized’ post got nothing in google, and not listed there. I heard about google sandbox, can anybody tell me what it is and how to avoid? can anybody help me about SEO for blogspot ( for dummy blogger :)?
Daisy's Collection of quotes
April 25th, 2009 9:34 pm
You got a nice blog. I also started one but I could find the ideas to posts everyday so I started posting famous quotes and sayings it is becoming quite popular. You might like to check it out.
Sorry for the self promotion
It would help if you can blogroll me…
Regards,
Daisy
SEO Optimizer
April 26th, 2009 5:45 am
Useful information. Helped me figure out few things. Keep up the good work.
New Age
May 1st, 2009 10:24 pm
I Really enjoy Reading Your Blog, it is interesting, inciteful and inspirational. Excellent. Keep up the great work!
Abi
May 6th, 2009 8:27 pm
I am following two major methods here. scoail messaging (twitter) and article marketing. Will lokk to go for others now!
The Songnumbers Team
May 7th, 2009 8:29 am
Solid article, where would we find more info on the subject?
Thanks in advance,
The Songnumbers.com Team
http://www.songnumbers.com
phil mitchell
May 14th, 2009 9:03 pm
I found your site while browsing on google and saw a few of your other pieces too. I’ve just added you to my yahoo rss Reader. Just wanted to say” keep up the good work” and congrats on a job well done! I am looking forward to reading more from you in the future.
Anak Raja Laut
May 18th, 2009 11:19 am
Well, you have the idea and info..sharing information if good will always benefit others. :)
bagless vacuum
June 3rd, 2009 3:58 pm
Hi Darren,
Thanks for the tips! Just what I need.
lucky luck
June 11th, 2009 11:06 am
Thanks you. I using social networking as facebook to promote my web blog.
http://improveyourhealthfitness.blogspot.com/
Gabby
June 12th, 2009 2:49 am
Yups!
It increased exposure and readership and Connected with a large discussion community .
Mathew Cork
June 12th, 2009 5:28 pm
Thanks for the great information here. I was wondering how do you get your grammar and english to be so perfect?
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